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AIR QUALITY MANUAL-METEOROLOGY AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE DISPERSION OF POLLUTANTS FROM HIGHWAY LINE SOURCES

A METEOROLOGICAL SURVEY CAN BE OF VALUE TO THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER IN DETERMINING THE IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY OF PROPOSED HIGHWAY ROUTES THUS AIDING IN THE PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS. AN ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY: (1) REVEALS THE PREVAILING SURFACE WIND PATTERNS FOR PROPOSED ROUTES, (2) DETERMINES THE NUMBER OF LIGHT WIND DAYS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO INDICATE THE MOST UNFAVORABLE WIND CONDITIONS, (3) LOCATES AREAS OF POTENTIALLY HIGH POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS, (4) INDICATES CERTAIN TYPES OF HIGHWAY DESIGNS WHICH MAY DISPERSE THE POLLUTANTS MORE EFFICIENTLY AND (5) DETERMINES THE MOST FAVORABLE METEOROLOGICAL ROUTE. IN ADDITION, WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION, AND THE STABILITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE CAN BE USED IN A HIGHWAY LINE SOURCE DISPERSION MODEL TO ESTIMATE AIR POLLUTION CONCENTRATIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT IS TO PRESENT TO THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS OF METEOROLOGY AND THEIR EFFECT ON POLLUTANT CONCENTRATIONS ON AND WITHIN THE HIGHWAY CORRIDOR. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS REPORT ARE TO ACQUAINT THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER WITH: (1) THE GENERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN METEOROLOGY AND AIR POLLUTION; (2) THE ROLE OF METEOROLOGY IN THE TRANSPORT AND DISPERSION OF AIR POLLUTANTS; (3) A METHOD TO ESTIMATE THE SURFACE STABILITY OF THE ATMOSPHERE; (4) METEOROLOGICAL SURVEYS, THE INSTRUMENTS USED, AND THE PROPER INSTRUMENT EXPOSURE FOR MEASURING THE SURFACE WINDS; (5) IMPORTANT METEOROLOGICAL FACTORS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN ROUTE LOCATION; (6) A METHOD OF ANALYSIS TO REDUCE THE METEOROLOGICAL DATA FOR INPUT INTO A HIGHWAY LINE SOURCE DISPERSION MODEL; AND (7) SOURCES OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA. BASIC DEFINITIONS ARE PROVIDED AS ARE SAMPLE COMPUTER PROGRAMS. /AUTHOR/